Only two Conservative Parliamentary candidates have revealed whether they would back leader Theresa May’s pledge to repeal laws which would allow fox hunting to be legalised.

After a Labour Government introduced the 2004 Hunting Act, hunting foxes with packs of fox hounds was banned and when David Cameron was Prime Minister he vowed to allow a free vote on the matter but it did not go ahead due to a lack of support.

Yesterday the Prime Minister said she would allow a free vote, if elected to Government, and she is in favour of fox hunting.

Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) said he would stand by his belief that the Act should be repealed.

“If we were faced with the same pledge as last time I would vote to repeal the Act,” he said. “I did not agree with it being banned and I am not opposed to hunting. I don’t see any problem with it.

“That is consistent with the position I have taken at each election.”

Gloucester MP Richard Graham (Image: Carl Hewlett)

But Gloucester candidate Richard Graham said: "My view is as it has been for the last several years: there is no hunting in Gloucester and I have no interest in pursuing change to current laws. I am focused in this election on the core issues of economic security, Brexit, decent public services for the British people and continuing to lead Gloucester forward - not this.

“If changes to existing legislation are proposed, I will look at them. But I am not in favour of repealing the Hunting Act and would not vote for it."

Stroud MP Neil Carmichael

Berkeley Hunt distributed leaflets for Stroud candidate Neil Carmichael in the run-up to the 2015 General Election but he would not say how he would vote.

“I will take soundings on the subject,” he said. “We will see if we are in a position to do that, post General Election. It’s not an election issue.”

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Tewkesbury candidate Laurence Robertson said: “I voted against the ban. If the issue comes up again I will look at exactly what is proposed, but given all the other major issues which are around I think the matter is best left.”

Alex Chalk

And Cheltenham candidate Alex Chalk said: “Instinctively I can see the logic of bringing the English ban into line with that in Scotland, which is what was proposed in 2015. But if any proposals were to go beyond that, they would be highly controversial and I would need to consider them very carefully indeed.”

In 2015 MPs were presented with a proposal to bring existing practice in England and Wales into line with Scotland where there is no restriction on the number of hounds that can be used during a hunt. It did not pass through the House of Commons – at the moment in England and Wales hunts can only use two hounds to flush out a fox before the animal must be killed by shooting.

Cotswold candidate Geoffrey Clifton Brown did not respond to our requests for comment.